Goode job

By EASportsToday.com
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Updated: March 11, 2017

Alexandria pitcher goes the distance and turns back Ohatchee rally in county quarterfinals

Alexandria pitcher Austin Goode worked out of just about every tight spot he found himself in Saturday. On the cover, the Valley Cubs congratulate Goode after the victory (Photo by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)

2017 CALHOUN COUNTY BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
Friday’s Games
No. 9 Wellborn 6, No. 8 Pleasant Valley 5
No. 4 Ohatchee 13, No. 13 Faith Christian 3
No. 6 Piedmont 15, No. 11 Jacksonville Christian 1
No. 5 Alexandria 10, No. 12 Donoho 0
No. 3 White Plains 17, No. 14 Anniston 2
No. 7 Saks 5, No. 10 Weaver 0
Saturday’s Games
(All games at Signature Field)
Alexandria 6, Ohatchee 4
Piedmont 3, White Plains 1
No. 2 Jacksonville 11, Saks 0
No. 1 Oxford 12, Wellborn 2
March 13
(All games at Signature Field)
Semifinal No. 1: Piedmont vs. Jacksonville, 4:30 p.m.
Semifinal No. 2: Alexandria vs. Oxford, 7 p.m.
March 14
Consolation game, 4:30 p.m. (pod field)
Championship game, 7 p.m. (Signature)

By Brant Locklier
For East Alabama Sports Today

OXFORD – Alexandria pitcher Austin Goode struck out Larry Noah to quell an Ohatchee comeback attempt and propel the Valley Cubs into the semifinals of the Calhoun County Tournament with a 6-4 victory Saturday at Choccolocco Park.

The Cubs (5-4) will play top-seeded Oxford in Monday’s 7 p.m. semifinal where Alexandria coach Andy Shaw said “we will pitch by committee.”

Goode battled all day as he went the distance in picking up the win. He pitched out of trouble all day, scattering eight hits and striking out 10. He ended five innings with strikeouts.

“He came up big for us today,” Valley Cubs coach Andy Shaw said. “He threw a lot of strikes. He had his breaking ball working. He is a senior and he did what we expect our seniors to do. Just a great job on the mound.”

The bottom half of Alexandria’s lineup supported him by reaching base 11 times in 19 trips to the plate.

“We teach being competitive at the plate and that is what we were today,” Shaw said.

Alexandria got on the board first in the second inning with a two-out single by Justin Shaw that scored Tanner Mize. Ohatchee left-fielder Grayson Alward gunned down Noah Primm at the plate on the play to save a run.

The Valley Cubs scored three runs in the third inning on consecutive hits by Nate McCallum, Austin Taylor, Mitch Welch and Goode to open up a 4-0 lead.

Ohatchee’s Jaylon Jenkins doubled home Jesse Sellers in the bottom of the third to cut the margin to 4-1, but Goode got out of the inning without any further damage with two straight strikeouts.

The Valley Cubs used a couple of walks, an error and a single by Taylor to scratch out two more runs in the top of the fifth inning and open up a 6-1 lead.

Kevin Williamson’s RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning scored Sellers to make it 6-2.

Alward, Austin Tucker and Eubanks put together hits in the bottom of the sixth to score two runs and narrow the lead to 6-4. Alward and Sellers had two hits apiece for the Indians.

Ohatchee left eight runners on base and had the tying run on base as the game ended.

“The kids battled well against a really good pitcher in Austin Goode,” Indians coach Blake Jennings said. “We couldn’t get the timely hit when we needed it.

“We hope to get better from these tough situations and build on the tough schedule we have had up to this point. We want to be playing our best come March 21 when area begins.”

Alexandria 013 020 0 — 6 8 2
Ohatchee 001 012 0 — 4 9 2
WP: Austin Goode. LP: Taylor Eubanks. 2B: Mitch Welch (A), Jaylon Jenkins (O). 3B: Nate McCallum (A), Jesse Sellers (O).